"I thought: 'Well I've got nothing to lose!'" - How 8 sessions of hypnotherapy cured Kevin Painter of dartitis

Kevin Painter was active on the PDC Pro Tour between 2001 and 2021. Since losing his Tour Card, 'The Artist' has kept himself active on the Challenge Tour and also regularly performs on the World Seniors Darts Tour.

Recently, however, the 2011 Players Championship Finals winner had to deal with struggles of dartitis. "You may have noticed, but over the last three months or so, I've had the dreaded dartitis," reveals Painter in a video message on the PDPA's Facebook page. "It was an absolute nightmare, just couldn't let the dart go. I played one game, best of five and it took 30 minutes. Was absolutely brutal."

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"It started in early June," the former World Darts Championship finalist recalls. "I was at the Challenge Tour and thankfully, Peter Manley of the PDPA was also there. He came up to me afterwards and asked if I'd be interested in being a guinea pig basically, at a trial with some hypnotherapy. He said this guy can clear dartitis, so I thought: 'Well I've got nothing to lose!'"

And it turned out to be a great decision to go. "I had a chat with this fella called Chris O'Connor and he reassured me that after a few sessions it would clear," Painter explains. "He put me at ease straight away and eight sessions later, it's all gone."

Understandably, Painter is extremely relieved to be free of dartitis and can now look forward once again. "It's not just about dartitis, but anxiety, stress, anything like that, I highly recommend this guy Chris. He's done a great job for me, but I'd like to also thank Peter Manley and the PDPA for giving me the chance to do it. I don't know what I would have done otherwise actually. Some people say play your way through it, but I think this is the best process."

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Kevin Painter won the 2011 Players Championship Finals